Chapter Text
This couldn't be happening. Today, today of all days for something else to go wrong.
Uralux was having a bad day. They hadn't gotten enough sleep, they were late to clock in, then they got yelled at by Tenna (although it was a studio-wide bitching to any Pippins about gambling) and now? Their treat, their snack at the end of the day that makes it all worth it, chocolates shaped like little TVs... were currently jammed in the vending machine.
They didn't even use the POINTs on a string technique, this was their real, hard earned money going into this machine! A hunger pang washed over them as they stared longingly at their little treat. They weren't paying more POINTs in an attempt to dislodge it.
They took a quick, sneaky glance around to see if anyone was watching. Fortunately the hallway seemed to be empty barring a watercooler that bubbled ominously. You see, Pippins always have a way of getting what they want, and sometimes that means slamming your whole body into a vending machine at full speed.
And Uralux did just that, colliding with the machine at the highest speed they could muster. Unfortunately for them, the machine stood firm, not even remotely jostled by their attempt to dislodge their treat. Meanwhile, Uralux's head was spinning from the force of the impact, landing on a number 14.
Oh, yes, that's right. Uralux is not your average Pippins by any means. As you could probably tell, their numbers go much higher than the usual 6 pips a Pippins have. This little Pippins is in fact a d20, one of the few roaming around TV World that Asriel didn't take with him when he went to college. Blue and green speckles covered their entire body, not a hint of white, making them stand out even more relative to other Pippins currently inhabiting TV World. And unfortunately, their unusual appearance led to them not having many friends among Pippins, especially without the rest of their Set.
Uralux picks themselves back up and stares at the machine, taunting them.
Now Uralux was frustrated and annoyed, why was the world being so hard to them today?
If ramming into it didn't work, there were always other ways. Pippins were smaller Darkners, and able to fit their hands into places other Darkners couldn't, like into your pocket to steal your phone. In this case, the opening of the vending machine was just large enough to fit their arm into. It was strange, everyone knew that Pippins could just reach into the machine and drag out whatever they wanted, so why wouldn't they change the little doors? Eh, whatever, Tenna probably didn't care enough to upgrade the machines if anything.
Uralux wasn't going to be so careful this time around, they felt no need to look because they just looked, and there was no one there! Kneeling down, they stuck their arm through the door of the machine, trying to reach up and get their little snack.
...But it was still just out of reach.
"Oh come ON already!"
They moaned and groaned in frustration as they kept swiping their claws at the lodged bag, Angel please just give it to them already! Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
"YOUS! HOLD IT!"
Uralux eeped and quickly pulled their hand out, but it was too late, they were totally red handed as the Zapper quickly approached.
"I thoughts I heard a bangin' and heres you are! Stealin' snacks!"
"W-Wait, no I wasn't! I paid for that, it got stuck, see!"
Uralux couldn't really tell if the Zapper was looking at the machine or not, after all they didn't have eyes, it was kind of hard to tell where they were looking. However, it seems that the Zapper didn't believe them.
"Likely story! I knows you Pippins, you ain't even the first one to rob this machine today!"
"For lyin n' stealin, yknow what that means?"
"I'm not lying! I swear I'm not lying, please!"
Uralux's pleas fell on deaf ears as the Zapper was already fiddling with their buttons.
"Y-you can just open the machine, I don't want to go to the dungeon, please!"
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"
Click.
Uralux's head was spinning, figuratively and literally, before landing on the cold floor of the cage. They let out a soft "oof", trying to regain their composure. Finally, the world settled, and they looked at where they were. Now, this was far from the first time Uralux had been sent here, after all, getting sent to the dungeon at least once was a Pippins rite of passage in TV World, but something looked... off.
The cage was far too big, the bars so greatly spaced apart that they could easily just slip through. It was almost as if Uralux had landed inside a cage designed to hold Tenna, which is a funny thought frankly, but it made zero sense. Where were they?
Only when they started to approach the bars did their stomach drop. The cage wasn't the only thing that was huge, so was the room it was held in. In fact, it was so large that even the cobwebs looked enormous from here! It's almost as if that it wasn't the room that was huge, it was... it was that…
Uralux suddenly felt incredibly small.
Very, very small.
They hadn't just been sent to the dungeon, they'd also been shrunken.
"No, no no no this can't be happening!"
"I didn't even- It wasn't even-!"
"DAMMIT!"
Uralux slumped to the floor, defeated. They wanted to curl up and cry, they'd never get to their apartment at this rate, and likely they're going to be spending the night down here. This day just kept getting worse, hell, could it get worse from here?
The sound of heels clicked down the empty hallway that the cages were kept in. Alongside two sets of voices.
They were higher pitched than your usual Zapper, and certainly not any Shadowguy of some sort. No these voices…
Were other Pippins.
A small hope bloomed in Uralux, perhaps they'd be understanding of their current plight and help them out of here! After all, Pippins help Pippins, right? Right?!
Uralux was almost tempted to hop out of the cage and run over to them, but they didn't want to be crushed in case they weren't paying attention.
Soon, the two Pippins walked past the cage, and their gaze landed on Uralux. And just as soon, their conversation went silent. Both of them crouched down, getting very close to the itty bitty dice. They were absolutely massive compared to Uralux, and the shrunken Pippins before them had to be at least the size of a regular dice compared to the average Pippins at this point. Uralux tried to summon their voice and cried out.
"H-hey! Hey, please, I need help! A Zapper sent me here- I-I want to sleep in my room tonight-"
"Can you please take me home? I have POINTs, I can pay!"
While Uralux was pleading, they didn't notice the look of mischief that crossed the faces of both Pippins. Before they realized it, the miniature Pippins was scooped into red claws with a squeak.
"Aww, how cute~!"
"Finally, we've been waiting for ages~!"
Waiting...?
Wait...
Uralux's stomach sank once more.
"Why was everyone else being 'good' today! None of the Zappers shrank anyone but you!"
"I dunno about being good, maybe they're just sneakier than greenie over here. Or should it be bluey?"
"Who cares, at least we finally got one!"
"You're the perfect size for our game!"
A look of horror crossed Uralux's face when they realized they weren't going home yet. They tried to struggle out of the Pippins' grip, but they wouldn't budge. They even tried to bite the hand that held them, but their teeth were too small and the plastic carapace of the Pippins too tough. The Pippins just aww'd again, poking fun at the little one. A large claw brushed their head gently, making Uralux blush.
"Look on the bright side! You'll fit in on the green felt!"
"Mhhmm~, it must be so lonely without your Set! Let's have some fun!"
"I'm sure a few rolls will help you relax, little fella~!"
"W-Wait! I'm not even a 6 sided die! I have 20 sides, you can't use me for a game!"
"Hey, aren't you listening?! Hey, HEY!"
The two Pippins totally ignored Uralux, instead happily skipping and hopping down the hallway as Pippins do.
"LET'S GO GAMBLING!"